Halogens and halogenating agents have long been used as disinfectants, antiseptics and antimicrobials [see, e.g., G. F. Connell, The Chlorination/Chloramination Handbook, Am. Water Works Assn. (1996); H. W. Banks, U.S. Pat. No. 1,813,109; and F. C. Schmelkes, U.S. Pat. No. 1,958,370]. While effectively killing bacteria, fungi and viruses, many chlorinating agents are also toxic to mammalian cells [see, e.g., I. U. Schraufstatter et al., J. Clin. Invest. 85, 554-562 (1990)], which can limit their use in therapeutic applications.
Organic N-chloramine carboxylic acids have been proposed as mild antimicrobials (S. A. Pogany et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,103) and as drugs acting on the central nervous system (N. M. van Gelder et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,451,761). Certain antimicrobial N-halogenated heterocyclic compounds are also known. For example, J. J. Kaminski et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,931,213 and 4,000,493) disclose various antibacterial 3-chloro-2-oxazolidinones; S. D. Worley et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,057) discloses biocidal N-halo derivatives of substituted imidazolidin-4-one compounds; Fernando Del Corral et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,354) describes 3-halo-5-halomethyl-2-oxazolidinones as microbicidal compounds; O. Rathore (U.S. Pat. No. 7,173,073) discloses ophthalmic devices containing N-chlorinated or N-brominated heterocyclic groups; and S. D. Worley et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,373) discloses biocidal siloxane coating material containing N-halogenated amine and amide functional groups. Also, A. J. Kaziska et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2004/0043914 A1), M. F. Czuczak et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2003/0104965 A1), Y. Nobata and Z. Yamaguchi (Japanese Pub. No. JP/2003/104806 A), T. Nakai and K. Ito (Japanese Pub. No. JP/2003/104805 A), and Y. Murata (Japanese Pub. No. JP/2004/203779 A) disclose compositions of, and sanitizing methods using, various partially halogenated hydantoin compounds.
Despite these known compounds, additional compounds with favorable antimicrobial, stability, water solubility, toxicity, and other properties, are still needed.